Therapy animals in action
Tank, a 25-pound, 12-year-old therapy cat, sits in his stroller at the entrance to White Memorial Medical Center east of downtown L.A.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)Love on 4 Paws volunteer Nikki Reagan carries Tank the therapy cat.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)Woody, a therapy dog, rests his head next to Ajon Hampton, 13, of Pasadena, at White Memorial.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)Woody sniffs at Tank while visiting patient James Stanley Hackworth at White Memorial Medical Center.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)Lucy Duran, of Boyle Heights, pets Cabot, a golden retriever therapy dog, at White Memorial Medical Center.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)Erick Tornez, 6, of South L.A. shows a photograph of him and Tank to the 25-pound ragdoll therapy cat at White Memorial Medical Center.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)Connor Coughenour, 11, meets Gordon, a 173-pound Newfoundland therapy dog sitting on his hospital bed, at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Theodore Ward, 5, tries to keep up with Gordon, a Newfoundland therapy dog, as they race down the hall during Ward’s physical therapy session. His physical therapist Kim Kaloustian, top left, supervises.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)Theodore Ward makes funny faces at Gordon, a Newfoundland therapy dog, after Ward put stickers on the dog during his physical therapy session.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)